Thank you for your courage to talk about weight loss surgery and the risks and rewards. I also had weight-loss surgery in 2015 but chose Gastric Bypass (aka RNY) because I already had reflux and additionally chose it because I wanted the stricter of the surgeries as I know my willpower would eat through the sleeve. I also had to have a second surgery due to a “rare” tumor that took over my abdomen and required stomach (pouch), gallbladder, appendix and part of small intestine to be removed. I have since had 5 more procedures due to complications and still I would never go back from my original 2015 decision to have RNY.

I lost 140 pounds in 10 months after my original surgery and have kept 120 of it off. There have absolutely been “side effects” that will forever be mine to deal with but they are minor compared to the future I was heading for at 274 pounds. The reward far outweighs the risk as I now know health, despite the complications, that I never knew pre-RNY. I can fit in restaurant booths, I can buy clothes at any store and even online! I am not taking a handful of meds daily because I no longer have high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney failure, high cholesterol and many other ailments that are common for the morbidly obese.

My advice to you is to do the second surgery and in that first year that is the most restrictive and reactive learn the tools you need to carry-on for the rest of your life. What you know now, better than before, is that the surgery is truly “just” a tool and if you don’t change your habits you will indeed be the person that had two weight-loss surgeries and still ended up on overweight. Additionally the truth about RNY is that it is more restrictive than sleeve and some of those restrictions do stay with you permanently therefore restricting your ability to eat around the surgery.

Thank you again for sharing as we need to continue to talk about weight-loss surgery for those of us that suffer from obesity. Diets are effective for those that have gained a few pounds, not for those that are twice the size of their recommended weight. Surgery is the only “fix” for metabolism and saves lives. Keep fighting my friend, you have already won the benefit of perspective.

Lori